Description

In this discipline-defining volume, some of the leading international scholars in the history of economic thought re-examine the concepts of 'classical economics' and the 'canon', illuminating the roots of the contemporary discipline, and the shape and form of its evolution. The investigation addresses three related issues. Firstly, the contributors attempt to determine which ideas are vital to classical economics, and whether these ideas distinguish classical economics from other approaches to economic questions. Secondly, the essays address the development of 'classical economics' over time through sociological and intellectual processes, and attempt to determine why some writers and works are elevated to the 'canon', while others are not. Thirdly, some contributions examine the intellectual consequences of this inevitable process of canonization. The book includes examinations of the work of major economists such as Marx, Smith, Ricardo, Bentham, Malthus, Keynes and Mill. Offering new perspectives on the way an intellectual discipine is constructed, this book will be of essential interest to all scholars of the history of economic thought.